What are tariffs and why are they important to U.S. citizens?

September 28, 2018

Tariffs are key components of trade, especially international trade.  Most American consumers’ merchandise, especially fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) may be purchased from other countries to use in our households and workplaces.    These consumer goods for American citizens must follow the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States for imports from other countries to America.  These tariff schedules are monitored by the U.S. International Trade Commission.

Imports and exports often impact the economic balance to a country’s revenues, operating expenses, and fiscal policies.

Image courtesy of https://usitc.gov/.

The Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (HTSUS) is the primary resource for determining applicable tariff rates and statistical categories for all merchandise imported into the United States. It can also be used in place of Schedule B for classifying goods exported from the United States to foreign countries.

The U.S. Harmonized Tariff Schedule (HTS) classifies a good based on its name, use, and/or the material used in its construction and assigns it a ten-digit number. There are over 17,000 unique ten-digit HTS classification code numbers.

The Harmonized Tariff Schedule is based on the International Harmonized Commodity Coding and Classification System established by the World Customs Organization (WCO). Virtually all countries base their tariff schedules on the WCO’s Harmonized System.

The Harmonized Tariff Schedules of the United States are available as a print subscription product or CD-ROM format.

Custom Brokers will need to be familiar with the nomenclature found within these tariff schedules for the custom brokers’ licensure exam.  Economists, political scientists, small, medium-sized, and large businesses’ senior management executives will want to be familiar with these schedules to identify growth markets and work with their trade compliance teams to ensure that their organization is properly classifying their merchandise.

The GPO Online Bookstore – Easy Access to Federal Publications

HOW DO I OBTAIN THIS RESOURCE?

Shop Online Anytime: You can buy eBooks or print publications —with FREE Standard Shipping worldwide— from the U.S. Government Online Bookstore at https://bookstore.gpo.gov.

Shop our Retail Store: Buy a copy of any print editions from this collection at GPO’s retail bookstore at 710 North Capitol Street NW, Washington, DC 20401, open Monday–Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., except Federal holidays, Call (202) 512-0132 for information or to arrange in-store pick-up.

Order by Phone: Call our Customer Contact Center Monday through Friday, 8 am to 5:30 pm Eastern (except US Federal holidays). From US and Canada, call toll-free 1.866.512.1800. DC or International customers call +1.202.512.1800.

Visit a Federal depository library: Search for U.S. Government publications in a nearby Federal depository library. You can find the records for most titles in GPO’s Catalog of U.S. Government Publications.

Find more than a million official Federal Government publications from all three branches at www.govinfo.gov.

About the author:  This week’s blog contributor is Maureen Whelan, Senior Marketing Team Leader for GPO’s Publications and Information Sales program office in Washington, DC. Maureen oversees print and digital content dissemination strategy and manages third party free and paid content distribution through platforms and vendors, such as Apple iBookstore, Barnesandnoble.com, Google Play eBookstore, Ebscohost databases, Overdrive, ProQuest, and more.


The Government Guide to a World of Exporting

September 28, 2016

If you’re a small or medium-sized business—start-up, mature, or somewhere in between—and you’re looking to expand your international market share and bottom line, there’s a U.S. Government guide that breaks down the basics of exporting.

a-basic-guide-to-exporting-11th-editionGPO makes available the latest edition of A Basic Guide to Exporting. It’s a work of the International Trade Administration’s (ITA) U.S. Commercial Service, a functionary of the U.S. Department of Commerce. This book has been around for 70 years, and it continues to give companies information they need to “gain the confidence to become an international sensation.”

U.S. companies are exporting more than ever before. According to the ITA, “in 2013, more than 300,000 small and medium-sized U.S. companies exported to at least one international market.” That has a lot to do with the fact that 96 percent of the world’s consumers exist outside of the U.S. Now is a great time for U.S. companies to go global.

This U.S. Commercial Service resource provides U.S. companies, especially first-time exporters, with in-depth advice and real-life success stories. It deals with complex issues head-on and “challenges…assumptions about engaging in the world of international business.” In addition to A Basic Guide to Exporting, the U.S. Commercial Service offers trade counseling, market intelligence, commercial diplomacy and help connecting with potential international partners—a sort of business matchmaking service.

dockIn A Basic Guide to Exporting, exporters can find strategic advice on how to:

  • Identify markets for products
  • Create an export plan
  • Finance your export transactions
  • Handle orders and shipments
  • Get free or low-cost government export counseling
  • Sell abroad through e-commerce
  • Finance export transactions
  • Prepare for legal issues

Yes, exporting abroad is tremendously more complicated than selling domestically. But thanks to official U.S. government resources and services, the process is easier than ever before. The world is truly open for U.S. business!

HOW DO I OBTAIN THIS PUBLICATION?

Shop Online Anytime: You can buy eBooks or print publications —with FREE Standard Shipping worldwide— from the U.S. Government Online Bookstore at http://bookstore.gpo.gov.

Shop our Retail Store: Buy a copy of any print editions from this collection at GPO’s retail bookstore at 710 North Capitol Street NW, Washington, DC 20401, open Monday–Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., except Federal holidays, Call (202) 512-0132 for information or to arrange in-store pick-up.

Order by Phone: Call our Customer Contact Center Monday through Friday, 8 am to 5:30 pm Eastern (except US Federal holidays). From US and Canada, call toll-free 1.866.512.1800. DC or International customers call +1.202.512.1800.

Visit a Federal depository library: Search for U.S. Government publications in a nearby Federal depository library. You can find the records for most titles in GPO’s Catalog of U.S. Government Publications.

About the author: Blogger contributor Chelsea Milko is a Public Relations Specialist in GPO’s Public Relations Office.


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